Using 4th Axis with Fusion 360 & Mach3

[Anonymous]

Hey!

I was simply trying to use the 4th axis to turn a rectangular block to face 2 or 4 sides, and pocket 2 sides. When posting, it simply fails. Not sure if Ill be able to do what I would like all in one, if not I am also fine writing it in (just knowing how correctly) or lastly manually rotating the block once each individual operation is done. Thank you for your time.

(Looking through the forums, it looks like I may need to enable "machine configuration", as in through mach3mill.cps, the code itself?)
A post where I am wondering if the attached M4x.cps file is something I can use, going to check it out:
http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/post-processors/need-help-modifying-mach3mill-post-for-use-with-trunni...

-Yannick

Attached file and this is part of what comes up after posting.

Post processor signature could not be verified (error 0xfffffffc).
Generated by: Fusion 360 CAM 2.0.2271
...
Warning: Work offset has not been specified. Using G54 as WCS.
Error: Tool orientation is not supported.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Error: Failed to invoke function 'onSection'.
Error: Failed to invoke 'onSection' in the post configuration.
Error: Failed to execute configuration.
Stop time: Thursday, August 04, 2016 8:00:31 AM
Post processing failed.

[daniel_lyall]

here is a 4th along the x and 4th along the y pp

[daniel_lyall · Accepted solution]

I had a play with the model, changed some bit's it posts ok with the 4th along the Y axis pp.

[Anonymous]

Hey Daniel,

Thank you for your reply and .cps files, much appreciated!

I did manage to get it to work by looking at the code and changing the "false" to "true" next to machine configuration. Works ok, will try it with your uploads next time.

[Anonymous]

That seemed to work for me yannick.

Waiting on my 4th, but the code looks good.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Yes, it worked good for me.

Hope everything works great on your end as well!

[Anonymous]

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@daniel_lyall wrote:

here is a 4th along the x and 4th along the y pp

Hi,

I've been trying to use these post processors, but have something strange, the toolpath ends up in the inside of the part in Mach3. Everything else is fine.

Any idea where I could be wrong?

My 4th axis is colinear with the Y axis and I used mach3mill with-Yaxis.cps (tried the other one with no difference).

[daniel_lyall]

Can you post the model Go to File -> Export and save as a .F3D Archive File and attach it to your next post

[Anonymous]

Sure, here you go, thanks

[daniel_lyall]

@Anonymous they must of changed something in fusion the rotation of the 4th in the post needs changed.

where it has the -1 that's what needs changed it needs to go from being 1 to -1 I had to go through and change all the posts I use, they all had the same problem inverted text.

It's on line 128

function onOpen() {

if (true) {
var aAxis = createAxis({coordinate:0, table:true, axis:[0, -1, 0], cyclic:true, preference:1});
machineConfiguration = new MachineConfiguration(aAxis);

If you don't know how to change it I post new versions of the post's just let me know.

now onto another problem, the way you did the extrude for the text was wrong.

When you do the extrude if you set it as from object, then click on the outside of the cylinder, then for the distances you just do a - whatever, it wraps the extrude to the cylinder and the depth is constant.

A example is attached I had to do a include 3D geometry as some of the letters were not letting me pick their profile.

[Anonymous]

Thakns for the answer. I had actually tried that change myself but didn't see any difference. Just tried again and unless there is something somewhere else to do to get the change taken (I have even made a new file, with a new description) I still get the inverted text.

Thanks for the constant depth example - I had come across some videos or posts that said wrapping wasn't possible in F3D and that what I did was a workaround. Or I misunderstood and the wrap that is missing is the one we'd actually want - where the edges of the embossing are perpendicular to the cylinder wall at this location instead of being straight to the sketch plane. 

[daniel_lyall]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thakns for the answer. I had actually tried that change myself but didn't see any difference. Just tried again and unless there is something somewhere else to do to get the change taken (I have even made a new file, with a new description) I still get the inverted text.

Did you have a look at the setup in my example, your one you had the origin in the wrong places, for any 4th axis work the origin needs to be at dead center end with the axis pointing in the correct direction.

Thanks for the constant depth example this is a work around - I had come across some videos or posts that said wrapping wasn't possible in F3D and that what I did was a workaround. that would of been out of date. Or I misunderstood and the wrap that is missing is the one we'd actually want - where the edges of the embossing are perpendicular to the cylinder wall at this location instead of being straight to the sketch plane. this is 4th axis continuous, what fusion does not have yet and is what is wonted by almost everyone 

the wrap function in any program that has a wrap function one part of the cut is always going to be angled, as it's a axis substitution or in your case changing X to A so the cutter cant get into the position where it's straight up and down to the surfaces, it would need a X axis movement to do it.

---

There is a lot to 4th axis stuff. there is a lot of BS toolpaths you can do with a 4th axis what are the not standard way of doing things

[Anonymous]

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@daniel_lyall wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Thakns for the answer. I had actually tried that change myself but didn't see any difference. Just tried again and unless there is something somewhere else to do to get the change taken (I have even made a new file, with a new description) I still get the inverted text.

Did you have a look at the setup in my example, your one you had the origin in the wrong places, for any 4th axis work the origin needs to be at dead center end with the axis pointing in the correct direction.

Thanks for the constant depth example this is a work around - I had come across some videos or posts that said wrapping wasn't possible in F3D and that what I did was a workaround. that would of been out of date. Or I misunderstood and the wrap that is missing is the one we'd actually want - where the edges of the embossing are perpendicular to the cylinder wall at this location instead of being straight to the sketch plane. this is 4th axis continuous, what fusion does not have yet and is what is wonted by almost everyone 

the wrap function in any program that has a wrap function one part of the cut is always going to be angled, as it's a axis substitution or in your case changing X to A so the cutter cant get into the position where it's straight up and down to the surfaces, it would need a X axis movement to do it.

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> Did you have a look at the setup in my example, your one you had the origin in the wrong places, for any 4th axis work the origin needs to be at dead center end with the axis pointing in the correct direction.

Yes but it was not obvious that this was the requirement. Makes sense, guess that was my mistake form the start.

>  this is 4th axis continuous, what fusion does not have yet and is what is wonted by almost everyone 

I was talking of the CAD side of things in this instance, not of CAM, the fact that the emboss isn't towards the axis - But yeah I've seen many requests about that so hopefully that will make its way in one day.

[Anonymous]

OK I think I got it, managed to machine it successfully. Understood the "Import 3D geometry" too.

For info I had to revert the "-1" change in the post processor, first try the A axis was inverted. Could also be a result of my machine configuration obviously.

The requirement to have the origin on the axis didn't feel logical because it then requires some special care to remove the "move to Z0" instructions at the start and end of the program, or... 

One thing for the future, supposing one was making a deep cut, how would one go about having it make multiple Z passes? It seems surprisingly few CAM operations available actually allow for that...

[daniel_lyall]

Fusion needs to know the center of rotation it could be anywhere along the the center of the material, saying dead center end and setting it to dead center end is a lot easier to do as it's at the center of the whatever is holding it to the 4th axis, or the center of the part at the other end.

If you need to remove the Z0  are you not homing the machine????.

It stands out that people don't home the machine properly if they need to remove a Z0 at the start as that is Z going to home, if the code is setup properly and the machine the machine will not go to work Z0 as it's set to go to a Z+ position.

My posts have been tested on my machine, they don't fail unless the ghost offset bug rears it's ugly head, what easy to fix.

[hhshermit]

I have the same problem.  Specifically, I cannot access the 4th axis using the Autodesk post processor for Mach3.  I've tried to tweak the .cps file myself without success.  I've also tried Daniel_Lyall's "mach3mill with-axis.cps, also without success.  I keep getting the message "Direction is not supported for machine configuration."

Any thoughts on where I go from here would be most appreciated.

[daniel_lyall]

That post is way out of date.

You have to put in what axis the 4th is along 

[hhshermit]

I am using the post version you provided in your original answer with the direction set on the X axis.  Still, I'm getting the message "Direction is not supported for machine configuration."

I don't know what step I've missed.

[daniel_lyall]

Can you post a model that has this problem, most posts at the moment are out of date weekly.

[hhshermit]

I sure appreciate your help.  The model is attached.